The coherent interaction between matter and radiation - A tutorial on the Jaynes-Cummings model

The Jaynes-Cummings (JC) model is a milestone in the theory of coherent interaction between a two-level system and a single bosonic field mode. This tutorial aims to give a complete description of the model, analyzing the Hamiltonian of the system, its eigenvalues and eigestates, in order to characterize the dynamics of system and subsystems. The Rabi oscillations, together with the collapse and revival effects, are distinguishing features of the JC model and are important for applications in Quantum Information theory. The framework of cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) is chosen and two fundamental experiments on the coherent interaction between Rydberg atoms and a single cavity field mode are described.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures. Tutorial. Submitted to a special issue of EPJ - ST devoted to the memory of Federico Casagrand

First evidence of coherent K+K^{+} meson production in neutrino-nucleus scattering

Neutrino-induced charged-current coherent kaon production, $\nu_{\mu}A\rightarrow\mu^{-}K^{+}A$, is a rare, inelastic electroweak process that brings a $K^+$ on shell and leaves the target nucleus intact in its ground state. This process is significantly lower in rate than neutrino-induced charged-current coherent pion production, because of Cabibbo suppression and a kinematic suppression due to the larger kaon mass. We search for such events in the scintillator tracker of MINERvA by observing the final state $K^+$, $\mu^-$ and no other detector activity, and by using the kinematics of the final state particles to reconstruct the small momentum transfer to the nucleus, which is a model-independent characteristic of coherent scattering. We find the first experimental evidence for the process at $3\sigma$ significance.Comment: added ancillary file with information about the six kaon candidate

The influence of chemical composition on the properties of Cepheid stars. II-The iron content

The Cepheid period-luminosity (PL) relation is unquestionably one of the most powerful tools at our disposal for determining the extragalactic distance scale. While significant progress has been made in the past few years towards its understanding and characterization both on the observational and theoretical sides, the debate on the influence that chemical composition may have on the PL relation is still unsettled. With the aim to assess the influence of the stellar iron content on the PL relation in the V and K bands, we have related the V-band and the K-band residuals from the standard PL relations of Freedman et al. (2001) and Persson et al. (2004), respectively, to [Fe/H]. We used direct measurements of the iron abundances of 68 Galactic and Magellanic Cepheids from FEROS and UVES high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra. We find a mean iron abundance ([Fe/H]) about solar (sigma = 0.10) for our Galactic sample (32 stars), -0.33 dex (sigma = 0.13) for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) sample (22 stars) and -0.75 dex (sigma = 0.08) for the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) sample (14 stars). Our abundance measurements of the Magellanic Cepheids double the number of stars studied up to now at high resolution. The metallicity affects the V-band Cepheid PL relation and metal-rich Cepheids appear to be systematically fainter than metal-poor ones. These findings depend neither on the adopted distance scale for Galactic Cepheids nor on the adopted LMC distance modulus. Current data do not allow us to reach a firm conclusion concerning the metallicity dependence of the K-band PL relation. The new Galactic distances indicate a small effect, whereas the old ones support a marginal effect.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Matéria orgânica e propriedades físicas de um Argissolo Amarelo Coeso sob sistemas de manejo com cana-de-açúcar Organic matter and physical properties of a Cohesive Yellow Argisol under different management systems with sugar cane

O cultivo contínuo da cana-de-açúcar por longo tempo sob diferentes manejos em solos de tabuleiros costeiros pode causar alterações na matéria orgânica e nas propriedades físicas do solo. Estudaram-se os efeitos de diferentes sistemas de manejo com cana-de-açúcar nas propriedades de um Argissolo Amarelo Coeso, na usina Triunfo, Estado de Alagoas. Os sistemas de manejo consistiram de uma área não irrigada, uma área irrigada, uma com aplicação de vinhaça e outra sob floresta nativa, sob condição original. Amostras foram retiradas de cada área a 0-0,2, 0,2-0,4 e 0,4-0,8 m de profundidade para determinar as alterações nos limites de consistência, parâmetros de compactação, estabilidade de agregados e frações físicas da matéria orgânica do solo. O cultivo da cana-de-açúcar sob os sistemas sequeiro e irrigado promoveu redução mais expressiva no limite de plasticidade, umidade ótima de compactação e diâmetro médio ponderado dos agregados, em relação ao solo sob mata nativa, devido à maior redução nos teores de carbono orgânico total e matéria orgânica particulada do solo. O sistema de manejo com aplicação de vinhaça promoveu menor degradação nas propriedades físicas e químicas do solo, em relação ao solo sob mata nativa.<br>The continuous cultivation of the sugar cane for long-term under different management systems in soils of Coastal Tablelands can cause alterations in the organic matter and in the physical properties of the soil. The effects of different management systems with sugar cane on the properties of a Cohesive Yellow Argisol, in the Triunfo Sugar Cane Mill, in the State of Alagoas, Brazil, were studied. The management systems consisted of an irrigated area, an area not irrigated, an area with vinasse application and an area under native forest in original condition. Samples were collected from each area at 0-0.2, 0.2-0.4 and 0.4-0.8 m depths to determine the modification in the consistence limits, compaction parameters, stability of aggregates and physical fractions of the organic matter of the soil. The results indicated that the cultivation of sugar cane under not irrigated and irrigated systems promoted a more expressive reduction in the plasticity limit, optimum moisture for compaction and aggregate mean weight diameter, in relation to soil under native forest, due to reduction in the contents of total organic carbon and of particulate organic matter. The management system with vinasse application promoted smaller degradation in physical and chemical properties of the soil in relation to soil under native forest